1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable electronic devices and apparatus and methods for altering the devices' services and applications, based on proximity to a vehicular operator's station.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some hazard exists with respect to the use of a portable electronic device by motor vehicle operators, be it cell phone conversations, texting, application execution, or otherwise.
Many different patents and patent applications address the issue of phoning or texting while driving. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,871,232; 6,690,940; 7,343,148; 7,856,230; and 7,966,025, as well as US Patent Application Publication Nos. 2008/0214211; 2009/0111422; and 2010/0216509. For specialized equipment mounted in a vehicle to perform triangulation, see US Patent Application Publication Nos. 2011/0021234; 2011/0105097; and 2011/0195699.
See also US Patent Application Nos. 2008/0305779; 2008/0305780; 2008/0305808; 2008/0318562; 2008/0299954; 2008/0299959; and 2011/0117903. See the website www.Key2safedriving.com.
Many of the known systems rely on modified vehicles, portable device heading sensors, or portable device navigation elements.
On the other hand, there is economic pressure by transportation services to not inhibit moving cell phone users, for fear of losing fares from vehicle passengers. There is pressure as well on the cell phone manufacturers not to require a change in infrastructure for such technology, i.e., a change in vehicle infrastructure is burdensome.
In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0117903, the present inventor explains many different scenarios to attain precise velocity, and heading information to permit the determination of location of portable electronic devices.
See also “Detecting Driver Phone use Leveraging Car Speakers”, by Jie Yang et al., Mobicom, 2011, (published after the present invention by the present inventor).